On 25 September 2015, the UN General Assembly adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Civil society all over the world has been working towards this for many years. Strong  global and European consultations and advocacy campaigns have led towards this milestone.

But while the Agenda 2030 has been adopted, the real work is now. Our challenge as European Civil Society is to make Agenda 2030 a reality, making sure we reach all of the Sustainable Development Goals and targets, within Europe and globally.

These goals can only be fully achieved with active and broad civil society engagement. CSOs will need to advocate for the policies required, raise awareness of goals and targets amongst the general public, monitor progress in implementing the SDGs and push for action where needed (watchdog role).

No other actor can combine these different and mutually reinforcing roles as effectively as civil society can. At EU level, with new EU level structures that emerge, CSOs need to help them to get the right shape while also mobilising people for the implementation phase. Agenda 2030 is nothing less but the most ambitious and potentially transformative global agenda ever adopted by the international community.